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By Jill Tanz , Class of 2003

Many docents are familiar with Henry Kuehn and his tall, distinguished, good looks. Perhaps you know that he has been a docent since 1974, was awarded Docent of the Year in 1994, now has Emeritus docent status, and is CAC’s only Life Trustee.

What you may not know is the story of what Henry did in his early years to help save the organization.

Henry heard about what was then named the Chicago School of Architecture Foundation (CSAF) through a docent at Glessner House who was his wife’s friend. Henry has an engineering degree from Yale and a love of architecture sparked by the great architectural historian, Vincent Scully. He worked in architecture offices in New York and Chicago after his college graduation, but soon moved on and got a business degree at Harvard. That launched his successful business career in medical devices. As his second career was getting under way, Henry decided the best way to stay involved in architecture would be by becoming a CSAF docent.

Henry’s business acumen was soon recognized, and he got a call in the early 1980s from trustee John Buck to join the renamed Chicago Architecture Foundation’s (CAF) board of trustees. Henry accepted, but quickly realized the organization was in deep financial trouble. In 1983, the board was able to secure a one-year loan for $93,500.00, at the then-low rate of 9%, but it required personal guarantees from board members. Henry and four or five other board members agreed to give those personal guarantees.

There was still the problem of figuring out how to raise enough money to pay back the loan. The bookstore had been a good money-maker for CAF; but as the organization had failed to pay vendors, no new stock was available. Henry stepped up again and made a gift to CAF that allowed the bookstore to pay all its debts and restock. CAF’s income from the store and tours, as well as gifts and grants, enabled it to pay back the loan and stay afloat.

Henry credits store manager Jane Lucas with devising a plan for the bookstore’s recovery and her successor, Bonita Mall, with successfully implementing the plan. He looks back fondly at those early years in the 1980s when the board bonded through working together on the fiscal crisis. CAF Board Chairman Bob Hutchins helped steer the organization through these difficult years. After a succession of different executive directors, John Engman finally instituted strong business practices in the early 1990s. The next executive director, Lynn Osmond, was brought in to raise the reputation and recognition of the organization. Henry credits these strong leaders in contributing to CAC reaching its present status and fiscal stability.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought new challenges to the present-day Chicago Architecture Center (CAC). Fortunately, years of strong income from the River Cruise provided CAC with a cushion to help weather the start of the pandemic. At the same time, the pandemic made clear that CAC needs to diversify its sources of income and build up an endowment, another feature that Henry introduced.

In the early 2000s Henry chaired a board committee that set up the structure for an endowment, but CAF never focused on funding it. Henry believes the pandemic has helped the current board see the importance of funding that endowment.

Fortunately, we still have Henry involved to help steer a course to continued fiscal stability.

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